Lou Barletta

Lawmakers are looking to get their arms around ways to sell or redevelop underused real estate owned by the federal government. But in order to do that, they’ll need to drill down on the General Services Administration’s ongoing catalog of more than 300,000 government-owned assets.

Dan Mathews previously worked as the Republican staff director for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.

General Services Administration acting Administrator Tim Horne told a congressional subcommittee the FBI headquarters project is cancelled, but not completely out of the running. Horne said the Trump Organization is in full compliance when it comes to the Old Post Office lease.

Congress warned the General Services Administration must find a good deal, meet financial and security requirements and remain fair when choosing a site to build a new FBI headquarters. Lawmakers say they are not underestimating the importance of FBI consolidation but are looking for more details as GSA finalizes funding and projects its cost savings for the development.

A bill in the House aims to reform the way the General Services Administration (GSA) handles real estate. The Public Buildings Reform and Savings Act would realize billions in savings by enabling GSA to better facilitate consolidations, reduce space and negotiate the best possible office space lease deals. It would also bolster security at federal buildings. Re. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) is chairman of the House Subcommittee for Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, and a co-sponsor of the bill. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain why such a pilot program was important.

With half of all federal leases in the D.C. region expiring in the next five years and a “buyers market” in real estate, the federal government faces a huge cost-saving opportunity. A House round table discussion examined how the General Services Administration could take advantage of this “perfect storm”.

Federal workers to see as much as 50 percent less cubicle or office space as part of how agencies are reducing office space costs. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) pressed GSA and others on their preparation to more efficiently deal with 100 million square feet of leased space that is scheduled to expire in the next five years.

The Federal Protective Service will no longer coordinate security at DHS headquarters on Nebraska Avenue in Northwest D.C. according to a May 1 memo from the agency’s chief security officer to the undersecretary for management. The memo was brought to light Wednesday by members of a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee at a hearing on the security of federal buildings. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, cited the DHS memo as a possible sign that “confidence in FPS may be eroding” from within DHS.

Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) is sponsoring a bill that would impact the federal workforce as well as a bill to restrict the growth of federal real estate. Barletta is the chairman of the Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.